Fasting lipid profile in acute ischemic stroke patients who are already on lipid-lowering drugs: An observational study

Objectives. Stroke or cerebrovascular accident is a global health problem. It is the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The relationship between dyslipidemia and acute ischemic stroke is intricate and varies according to the type of stroke and lipid levels. Given the inconsistent results of existing studies on the association of stroke with dyslipidemias, there is a need to further explore this relationship and to establish the role of lipid abnormalities in stroke incidence, severity, and prognosis. We aimed this study to know the lipid derangements in acute ischemic stroke patients who were already on lipid-lowering drugs for a substantial duration of time. Material and methods. This study was conducted as a descriptive, retrospective, observational study involving patients admitted in the Stroke Unit, with acute ischemic stroke included those who were using lipid-lowering drugs (most preferably statins) for more than a year with a continuous use for a period of atleast 3 months prior to the event of stroke. A total of 153 individuals met the inclusion criteria, and the sampling was done via non-probability consecutive methods. Results. The mean age of the study population is 58.86 ± 14.02. The study population included 52.9% males (n = 81) and 47.1% females (n = 72), with a similar mean age (p = 0.855). The mean total cholesterol was 175.64 ± 51.41, with females had a slightly higher mean (p = 0.349). The mean total triglycerides were 134.01 ± 69.85, with a slightly higher value in males (p = 0.392). The mean LDL levels were found to be 118.41 ± 45.56, slightly higher in females (p = 0.308). The mean HDL levels were 36.76 ± 9.06 with equal values among the gender (p = 0.295). The mean VLDL was 26.78 ± 13.94 with slight variation among gender (p = 0.406). The mean non-HDL cholesterol was found to be 138.94 ± 48.02 and was slightly higher in females (p = 0.425). The most frequently deranged lipid marker in the study population was HDL, non-HDL, and LDL. Conclusions. Despite the utilization of statins, frequent derangements of lipid markers are reported among acute stroke patients in our study with LDL/HDL ratio was the most prominently deranged lipid marker.